Wander Among Wilderness Areas

With the stroke of a pen, the Wilderness Act passed in 1964 under the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson protected 9.1 million acres of federal land for the sake of wilderness, “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” The Wilderness Act was enacted to preserve wilderness of a certain type—at least 5,000 acres where dominate the forces of nature, where the imprint of humankind is unnoticeable, and where the opportunity exists for “solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation.”

Johnson, one of the most prolifically active and effective presidents of the 20th century, protected 9.1 million acres of federal land from any sort of commercial enterprise. Unless by special provision, no roads were to be built, no use of motorized transit or equipment allowed, no building of structures of any kind. In other words, nature preserved for nature’s sake. Since 1964, protected land has grown to encompass 109.5 million acres of federal land across the United States, including many of our most beautiful national parks, like Mount Rainier, Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and Rocky Mountain National Park.

No better opportunity exists for camping, hiking, fishing, climbing, or mountaineering than in the wilderness areas protected by the Wilderness Act. For those who carry with them a reverence for wild spaces, wilderness areas encompass the few remaining pockets of land where the idea of nature in its original condition persists, and along with it the sense of limitless potential inherent in the human spirit. This idea is the foundation the American idea, it has forged and reforged our society, and presidents from Teddy Roosevelt to Lyndon B. Johnson have recognized its importance—culminating in the many millions of acres that we have inherited and will pass to our children.

Certain rules apply: You won’t be able to find the amenities of a national park unless you’re in one, but you’ll have the opportunity to rely on your own wit and grit. You’ll have to travel on foot. Most of the time you’ll be out of cell phone service, but you’ll get to use the old map and compass. You’ll survive, and you'll experience a modicum of what it felt like to arrive on North American shores, cross golden prairies and summit the mountains of the West in search of something greater.

Below are just a few of the beautiful wilderness areas that have inspired generations. Take advantage of them!

California

Northern California

Philip Burton Wilderness, part of Point Reyes National Seashore
Cedar Roughs Wilderness
Cache Creek Wilderness
Rain Wilderness, part of Pinnacles National Park
Ventana Wilderness

High Sierra

Granite Chief Wilderness
- Five Lakes Trail
Desolation Wilderness, near Lake Tahoe
- Mount Tallac
Yosemite Wilderness, part of Yosemite National Park
Mokelumne Wilderness
- Woods Lake Loop
Carson-Iceberg Wilderness
Emigrant Wilderness
Hoover Wilderness
Ansel Adams Wilderness
- Mono Hot Springs
John Muir Wilderness
- John Muir Trail
Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness, part of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks
- Rae Lakes Loop
Golden Trout Wilderness
South Sierra Wilderness
Kiavah Wilderness

Southern California

Magic Mountain Wilderness
San Gabriel Wilderness
- Silver Moccasin Trail
Pleasant View Ridge Wilderness
Sheep Mountain Wilderness
San Gorgonio Wilderness
- San Gorgonio
Joshua Tree Wilderness, part of Joshua Tree National Park
San Jacinto Wilderness
- San Jacinto Peak
Bighorn Mountain Wilderness
San Mateo Canyon Wilderness
Pine Creek Wilderness
Otay Mountain Wilderness

Colorado

Comanche Peak Wilderness
Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness
Indian Peaks Wilderness
- Mitchell Lake + Blue Lake
- Long Lake, Lake Isabelle + Pawnee Pass
Mount Evans Wilderness
Lost Creek Wilderness
Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
Great Sand Dunes Wilderness, part of Great Sand Dunes National Park
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness
- Four Pass Loop
- Crater Lake and Maroon Lake
Weminuche Wilderness
- Chicago Basin